First Daughter
by LowlifeTheory
Summary: Being a politician's daughter in Washington always came with unspoken rules and regulations. It was obvious to Lydia what she should and shouldn't do. Drinking whilst underage, for example, was not allowed, and the latest fashion trends should always be followed. And under no circumstance was it ever acceptable to fuck the secret service detail assigned to protect her.
1. Chapter 1

Being a politician's daughter in Washington always came with unspoken rules and regulations. There were invisible standards which had to be adhered to, barriers that couldn't be pushed, eyes watched her every movement. Lydia hated Washington, except that she didn't. But she did. It was complicated because it was the life she knew. She didn't want it, the life she had, but it was hers. It was impossible to put into words how her life made her feel.

As a child Lydia watched an unhappy marriage stay together for the sake of two careers, and as a teenager she resented her parents because their jobs came first. When she was seventeen with ambitions of escape from Washington to the West Coast her world fell apart when her father announced his intention to run for President.

He won, of course, and Lydia's life changed dramatically. She was eighteen when he took office and suddenly her every move was watched by the nation. Lydia's dreams faded with the sunset. Her relationships were scrutinised; her grades were more important than ever and her choice of clothes was discussed on breakfast television.

It was obvious to Lydia what she should and shouldn't do. Drinking whilst underage, for example, was not allowed, and the latest fashion trends should always be followed. And under no circumstance was it ever acceptable to fuck the secret service detail assigned to protect her.

Lydia couldn't give a toss about rules right now though, because broad shoulders held her thighs apart, two fingers screwed into her asshole, and his tongue was, oh fuck, doing things that made Lydia's cunt burn with need.

'Derek!' She gasped. Her eyes were wet with tears and her toes ached from being curled. 'Please.'

He hummed, and she grasped handfuls of the sheet bunched around her hips. Carefully he brought her to the edge but they just hovered there, a delicate balancing act that Derek held expertly. Lydia didn't know how long it took for that rush through her body that made her arch up and push his head away. He chased her, licking until she asked him to stop.

His cheeks and chin were glistening, her juices clung to his beard, but he was smiling as he stretched over her body and kissed her. 'Hey,' he nuzzled her lips.

'Hi,' Lydia cupped her hand around the back of his neck and kissed him.

'How's that headache you've been complaining of?' He asked.

'Gone,' Lydia kissed him again. His cock was still hard against her thigh, and she spread her legs further, wrapping them around him.

'You don't have to-'

'I want to baby,' Lydia smiled up at him. Derek snorted at being called "baby" but it turned into a soft grunt as she wrapped her fingers around him gently. Derek reached to the bedside locker for a rubber.

Lydia didn't think she could come again, but Derek buried his face in her neck and she felt a tingle in her clit as he eased inside her. He adjusted his position slightly and Lydia gasped as he grazed her g-spot.

It was slow, intimate. Lydia had no idea how, but Derek teased another orgasm from her exhausted body. She dragged her nails down his back and cried into his shoulder, sucking on the skin. Derek jerked into her a few times before filling the condom with a soft noise that made her tingle inside.

Derek cleaned up, and Lydia curled herself against his chest once he dropped back onto the bed. In the warm afterglow of sex they lay and listened to the wind outside the window. Lydia played with Derek's chest hair while his fingers drew shapes on her hip.

'You've been shot,' Lydia whispered. Derek's right shoulder held two bullet scars. There was one on his right thigh too.

'My last tour,' he said. Lydia kissed the scars, both the marks on his shoulder and the one on his leg. Derek chuckled and curled his arms around her.

'What was it like? Fighting there I mean,' Lydia asked.

'There were moments when it was hell on earth but when I saw why we were there, kids with guns, the oppressed beaten into the earth it was... War is no good for anyone. It is hell on earth,' Derek turned to meet her eyes. 'I've never spoke about it before to anyone.'

Lydia kissed his lips. 'You know you don't have to speak of it. If I push the boundaries just tell me to stop.'

'You don't understand, I want to talk to you about everything,' Derek said. 'Someday.'

'I want to listen always,' Lydia rested her cheek on his chest. She could hear his heartbeat, strong and steady. It soothed her to sleep.

Lydia spoke to both her parents every day.

Her father would call her, and God help her but Lydia had a reluctant interest in politics and policy that she liked to deny. Sometimes he would ask her odd questions or fish for her opinion on his decisions. At first it confused her, but soon she was ready for his call and sometimes she would bring an issue up he had left out. Notes were taken. Politics was becoming a part of her life without her realising it.

Every morning Lydia would send her mother a brief description of her day which included classes, work load, social events and planned outfits. Sometimes, if Lydia expressed what she considered to be an "extremist" view she would warn her parents but lately she had come to rely on Derek and his opinions instead.

'Do you like this skirt?' Lydia asked as she smoothed it down in front of the mirror.

'I suppose,' Derek grunted. He gulped the last of his tea and put the mug into the dishwasher. She was watching him in the mirror as he holstered the gun he always carried and put his comms device in his ear. His eyes were on her though.

'You're looking at my legs,' Lydia said. She did a full turn in front of him.

'There's a lot to see,' Derek said.

'What is that supposed to mean?' Lydia snapped. Derek met her gaze and rested both hands on the breakfast bar. Lydia couldn't help but admire how it made his shoulders look.

'It means I like the skirt,' he sighed with a slight curl of the lips. Lydia grinned at him.

'I only have two days of classes left then we break for Christmas,' Lydia said. 'What's your schedule?'

'I'm working,' Derek said. He pulled his cell phone from the inside pocket of his jacket.

'All Christmas!' Lydia turned to him.

'I thought you'd be happy,' Derek muttered. He was texting someone. He smiled, and a moment later showed her a picture of a scruffy dog. 'My sister just adopted her.'

'Cute. I am happy but your sister will miss you,' Lydia lifted her bag. 'Daddy's going to reduce the military's budget to increase education next year.'

'And?' Derek asked. He was testing her, she thought, wanting her opinion. Or maybe he was just curious.

'I don't think he should. I think the military is important,' Lydia looked in the mirror and fixed her hair. 'What if we go to war?'

'It's all a balancing act as far as I'm concerned. One year they reduce one budget and increase another, the next year they readjust the allowances. It's a form of crowd pleasing. I thought you didn't like politics?' Derek said as Lydia turned to him with a smile.

'I don't,' she raised to her toes and kissed his lips.

Derek made a point of wiping the gloss away from his lips. 'Banshee is ready to leave,' he said into his coms device.

'I hate that,' Lydia grumbled.

'They won't miss me at Christmas, Laura has a family and Cora has a new husband and a new dog,' Derek said as he helped Lydia with her coat.

'We're going to Colorado for Christmas,' she said as she lifted her hair from inside her coat.

'I know,' Derek smirked and Lydia felt herself blush.

Every room in the ski lodge had a Christmas tree, even the bathrooms had the little gel ones clinging to the mirrors. Lydia didn't mind, she liked it. Derek didn't either by the looks of things.

No one seemed to notice that Derek didn't use the room he'd been given in the guest wing, or if they did, they didn't say anything. Derek was the only protection detail Lydia had here too, not counting the secret service there for her father. No one questioned the time they spent together.

On Christmas Eve Lydia and her parents prepared a meal and they ate in private. After they sat quietly by the big log fire and read, but Lydia had made her way to her bedroom before nine. Derek was reading on her bed and she snuggled into his side. Derek took care to mark his place before he set the book down and turned to her. The kiss was slow, tender, and Lydia wished she had spent the whole evening with him. Christmas was tedious with her parents.

'When I have a family I want a big noisy Christmas, I want fun and games not quiet time to read!' Lydia complained.

'Christmas is always noisy at our house,' Derek said. 'Quiet time is something unheard of.'

'Do you miss it?' Lydia asked.

'Yes but...' He stopped and ducked to kiss her and his hand drifted to the hem of her dress. Lydia wrapped her arms around his neck. 'Let's celebrate Christmas Lydia.'

Later, when Derek was asleep, she slipped from the bed and placed his Christmas gift underneath the tree. She left his birthday gift next to the bed. Lydia wondered if Derek would be angry that she discovered his birthday. He wasn't, he just chuckled and kissed her and pulled her back into the warmth of the bed.

Lydia was a delicious enigma that Derek found hard to resist. She was also full of surprises.

She had flirted with him for months, teased him and toyed. Derek had offered her faint smiles but tended to ignore her behaviour.

It was a false alarm one evening that had him on her sofa, a few prank phone calls came from some of her high school class threatening kidnap. 'Don't leave,' Lydia pleaded. Her hands were shaking and instinctively he wrapped his arms around her.

They talked for hours, and behind the fashionable and sharp exterior was a sweet and lonely girl who was a lot smarter than she let on.

It wasn't long before one thing led to another, a touch here or a glance there and Derek ended up in bed with Lydia one Sunday afternoon.

Lydia wasn't what he expected though, this confident and brash girl changed completely in the bedroom. At first he took her shyness and submissive behaviour to be nerves. They were new to this after all, but the more time they spent together the more Derek realised Lydia liked to be taken care of.

'May I?' She had whispered. It was their third time together and her hand hovered over his cock.

'You may,' Derek had teased. She wasn't a virgin, she had told Derek there were two boyfriends she had slept with, but Derek didn't push her, he let her take her time with his body.

After sex she was clingy too, she loved to cuddle and hated to break contact. Derek, a tactile person himself, made sure to hold her, whisper nonsense to her and in return listen to her. He would stroke her hair and watch her long after she fell asleep.

He learned about how much she thought she hated politics, and that as "First Daughter" the men who would chase her and try to court her to gain her father's favour. Married men approached her offering up some fun to try and gain favour like some medieval court.

Derek grew to hate social gatherings at the White House where people openly flirted. Lydia would smile at them, even dance if they asked her to, but her eyes always found his. Derek vowed to end it on those nights, Lydia was part of a world he didn't belong to. He was overstepping the mark and putting Lydia in danger.

'Derek,' Lydia said as she approached him. 'It's time to leave, I'm tired.'

They would move, Derek would escort her from the car to her apartment, and to his Boyd and Erica's amusement, he would stay another night with her.

'I don't think you hate politics as much as you think you do,' Derek said. Lydia looked up at him, he was wearing jeans and a Henley and he looked so young and relaxed out of the suit.

'What makes you think that?' Lydia asked. Derek turned and set her food in front of her. It smelled delicious and Lydia couldn't wait to tuck in.

'You want to make a difference, you want to make changes, real good changes,' Derek took a seat across from her.

'It's not that I hate politics, just, it's more interesting now than it was. I want a family and a happy marriage, sometimes that doesn't seem possible in a political world. I don't want to marry the wrong person for the wrong reasons,' Lydia twisted the spaghetti around her fork.

'You could have a happy family,' Derek shrugged.

'I could be President, Madam President.' Lydia imagined herself in the Oval Office. 'You'd be first husband?'

'I'd be your kept man,' Derek grinned.

'Stay at home Daddy bringing up our kids,' Lydia wondered what their children would look like. 'I'd like three.'

'Three is a nice number,' Derek agreed.

'It wouldn't be easy; a female President with a young family.' Lydia thumbed the groove in her fork.

'You could do it. You were born to lead,' Derek's smile was soft. It was then that Lydia realised how much she loved the man sitting in her kitchen, the man who had just painted a wonderful future with her.

'I want to do it, I want to be President!' Lydia said.

'Really?' Derek asked.

Lydia hummed but a plan was formulating in her mind. It wouldn't be easy, in fact it would be one of the most stressful things in the world but Lydia was confident that she could make a difference.

'Lydia?' Derek broke through her thoughts.

'Yes?' She said.

'Eat your food,' he smiled softly again. Lydia smiled back. She wanted to tell him how she felt but now wasn't the time. It was too soon, too complicated, and perhaps a little part of her just wasn't ready.

Lydia was curled up on Derek's lap when her cell phone rang. They were settled in to a big armchair with a blanket around them. Lydia was wearing one of Derek's hoodies and she had to fish around in the pocket for the phone.

'It's my Dad,' she said. Derek paused Pretty Little Liars whilst Lydia answered.

'Where are you?' Her dad asked over the phone.

'At home,' Lydia said. 'Why what's wrong?'

'Have you seen the weather, do you even watch it?' Her dad asked.

'Of course I watch it, I need to know what outfit to wear every day don't I?' There were a few sniggers on the other end of the phone. Apparently she was addressing a room. 'You wouldn't be laughing if a newspaper article said "Presidents idiot daughter wears mini skirt and high heels in freezing conditions" would you?'

Derek snorted but the sniggering had stopped on the other end of the line. She shot Derek a glare.

'I'm just a concerned father honey,' her dad said.

'I know. Derek's sister works at a weather station in California. He warned me about this a week ago. His words were "you're not going out next weekend. Bad weather. Logistical nightmare," so I'm here,' Lydia ignored the look Derek gave her for impersonating him but there was laughter on the other end of the phone.

'Who's on duty?' Her dad asked.

'Derek,' Lydia said.

'Well bring him in out of the cold hallway, I've been told we have visual of the front of your building via camera,' her dad said.

'Sure, now go do what you do,' Lydia said. They said their goodbyes and she ended the call. 'Daddy says I should warm you up.'

'I believe he said to bring me inside,' Derek teased.

'What do you do on your days off when I don't see you?' Lydia asked.

'Laundry. I go to the gym, do stuff around my apartment, and catch up with friends. Normal boring stuff.' Derek shrugged.

'You're off all next weekend,' Lydia pouted.

'That's next weekend, not this one. My sisters are coming to Washington. They've never been here before,' Derek said.

'Oh?' Lydia pouted.

'Yeah they get here late Friday. I'll spend the day with them on Saturday then its home for them on Sunday,' Derek frowned. 'Why?'

'No reason, just wanted to know,' Lydia mused. 'You rarely talk about your family. I don't even know what they look like. You only ever showed me a picture of Cora's dog.'

It was with a heavy sigh that Derek produced his cell phone. He showed her pictures of his family, his mother Talia and her wife Melissa, his stepbrother Scott and two sisters Laura and Cora. Cora's husband Stiles was there too.

'Your sisters are beautiful,' Lydia said.

Derek made a face, but Lydia kissed him. 'I like it here,' Derek said softly.

'I'm glad, now, there's a storm coming and I want to watch. Move this armchair to the window please babe,' Lydia stood. Derek didn't complain, he just moved the chair like she told him to and sat back down, waiting for her to join him.

'So what's she like?' Cora asked leaning closer to Derek. Laura paused, her drink halfway to her mouth.

'Who?' Derek said.

'The President's daughter,' Laura said.

Derek shot them a glare. 'It's Lydia, and remember we're in a bar and we don't know who could be listening.'

'No one's listening, they're all watching that stupid fight!' Laura said.

'She's pleasant. Smart...funny in a way I didn't think she would be,' Derek caught the tip of his tongue between his teeth. He hoped he'd said enough but not too much. His sisters could usually see right through him.

'She looks like a snob,' Cora said. Derek grinned, Cora wouldn't say something like that if she thought there was anything going on between Derek and Lydia.

'She's alright,' Derek muttered turning his attention back to the fight on the television.

Derek said goodbye to his sisters and left the bar when he felt his mind tingle with that pleasant almost-drunk feeling. The cool night air sobered him slightly but not enough to remove that comfortable buzz. He enjoyed the walk to his apartment, and after a few fumbled attempts with the key he was inside.

The scent hit him immediately. Her perfume hung in the air and Derek followed it like a drug. She was on his bed wearing heels, stockings and his leather jacket over it. Derek swallowed when she blinked up at him.

'Where's your security?' Derek asked as he stepped closer to his bed. His bed, where Lydia was waiting for him. He could get used to this.

'Boyd helped me,' Lydia smirked. The bedside lamp cast a soft glow over her beautiful body and Derek couldn't wait to unwrap her. He kicked his boots of and dragged his t-shirt over his head. 'You look hot in jeans.'

'You look hot in my jacket,' Derek muttered as he crawled over the top of her. White teeth bit into a plump red lip, and Derek ducked his head to kiss her. Lydia opened up immediately, her hands went to the waistband of his jeans then followed the line of his belt.

'May I?' She whispered. Derek kissed her throat, let his teeth scrape gently on the sensitive skin.

'Yeah,' he muttered into her throat. Lydia took her time, but her fingers were sure as she worked the belt through the buckle. She dragged it off him and clutched the soft leather in her hands. 'You could use it.'

'How?' Lydia asked looking up.

'You could wrap it around my wrists,' Derek pecked her lips. Lydia's breath was sweet when it touched his skin, like she'd been eating cotton candy. 'Would you like that?'

'Yes but...I'm afraid,' Lydia looked into his eyes and Derek felt a rush of fierce protectiveness and something else. He wanted to say the words but he wasn't ready. Not yet.

'Its okay baby, we don't have to,' Derek kissed her lips again.

'Maybe someday, maybe,' Lydia swallowed and Derek kissed her again. He took his time, kissing down her throat, over her chest. He peeled his jacket from her to reveal lace and satin barely covering her beautiful pale skin.

'You're something else,' he murmured against her tummy. Lydia giggled and ran her fingers through his thick hair. Derek set his teeth against her skin and nipped a small patch. Lydia gasped and arched against him as Derek soothed her with his tongue before moving to her mouth to kiss again.

'You taste like whiskey,' Lydia said when Derek pulled away. He cupped the side of her face and marvelled at the soft skin.

'I'm sort of drunk,' Derek admitted flipping them. Lydia laughed as she settled on his hips and rested her hands on his shoulders.

'Are you?' She leaned down and kissed him. Derek encouraged her to move over him, guided her in taking some control. The stripped each other, baring skin and kissing away the day until it was just the two of them beneath Derek's dark duvet.

Lydia moved above him, her hair fell in a curtain around his face. They were alone, this was their place. The world drifted away as Lydia shared his breath. She rode him gently, their hips rocking together again and again. Derek could stay like that with her forever, her soft body against his slick skin, and her gentle noises like music filling the room.

Lydia came first, a sob on her lips as she tried to kiss him. Derek held her, one hand on her hip twisting them again. It was only a couple of thrusts until he came, and Lydia cried out with him.

Derek tucked Lydia against him and they fell asleep to the beat of the rain against his window.

'You were in the Marines?' Lydia asked. Derek came to stand behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

'Yeah, joined when I was eighteen,' Derek said. Lydia looked over the pictures on the wall, pictures of Derek and his unit posing at the end of a successful mission. 'It was a tradition, those pictures, a way of recording who came back.'

'Is that a wedding ring?' Lydia asked focusing on the last one she came across. Derek was silent, and Lydia turned to him.

'It was a mistake. Jennifer was in love with someone else; I was in a bad place. We both just...got it wrong. We rushed into something. We married in Vegas after knowing each other a few days. It was sex that was all that bonded us. I was deployed a few weeks after we married and we never had time to make it work. By the time I got home it was over. Jennifer's ex was back in her life although she wasn't cheating and I'd lost my best friend. We divorced and that was that.' Derek looked at the picture. 'We're still friends.'

'Oh,' Lydia didn't know how to react. Her most serious relationship had been with Jackson Whitmore; a spoilt teenager who treated Lydia like dirt. He'd been her first everything and sometimes she regretted that.

'Hey, this isn't going to turn awkward is it?' Derek said as he pulled her against him. Lydia caught sight of them in the mirror. She was wearing one of his oversized black t-shirts, he was in his boxers. Lydia wanted mornings like this, eating breakfast in her underwear, planning out their days and weeks together, dreaming.

'No, it's not awkward. You're just old!' Lydia pushed his shoulder.

'I'm twenty nine!' Derek protested lifting her from her feet and holding her against him. Lydia wrapped her legs around his waist.

'You're old,' Lydia's words were soft. Derek narrowed his eyes but Lydia kissed him, running her hands around the back of his neck. It was one of Derek's weak points and Lydia knew it. Derek groaned softly and walked them towards the comfortable sofa.

'We should go out for cocktails!' Allison clapped. Derek's shoulders tensed slightly.

'We're out for coffee,' Lydia pointed out. Allison made a face. They were at the back of a cosy coffee shop and Derek was standing guard a few feet away from the alcove they sat in.

'I'd rather have a drink of something else,' Allison sat back. Her eyes drifted to Derek.

Lydia turned to Allison's sketches. 'I like this one, what colour?'

'Hmm? Oh teal, or something dark. What shoes will you wear?' Allison scooted closer.

'I'll decide when I see the dress,' Lydia said. The coffee was hot when she took a sip but she ignored the burn.

'Surely we can go out,' Allison rested her chin on the heel of her hand. 'Ask him, and while you're at it find out if he's single.' Allison nodded towards Derek.

'Derek,' Lydia said. Boyd took Derek's spot and then Derek was crouching next to her chair. He stole a piece of her muffin.

'That's good,' he said picking another piece.

'Can we go out tonight?' Lydia asked.

'No can do ladies, there isn't enough notice for us to prepare,' Derek said softly. 'And don't forget you're underage.'

'Not fair,' Allison said.

Derek shrugged his shoulders. A warm hand wrapped around Lydia's ankle under the table. 'I'm not even close to sorry on this one. Going out is a nightmare for us. I can organise to have cocktail ingredients sent over to your apartment.'

'That could be fun,' Lydia said. Allison made a face.

'And I'm not, by the way,' Derek said as he stood.

'Not what?' Lydia asked.

'Single,' Derek said with a smile. 'I have a girlfriend.'

Somehow Lydia suppressed her smile and returned her attention to her best friend. 'Blue would be nice,' Allison was saying as she examined Lydia closely. 'It would go with his eyes.'

Derek hated shopping.

Always precise, and to the point, Derek usually got what he needed when he needed it. He knew which brands he liked, knew his size and rarely strayed from that path. Shopping to Derek was a quick stop at a shop on the way to do other chores or the touch of a button when he ordered online after a brief search.

He shopped alone too; last time he had company he was seventeen and it was Paige, his first girlfriend. They had almost broken up that day in the mall (they did a week later) and Derek had shopped alone ever since.

It was a Tuesday morning when Lydia announced she needed shoes. Derek stared down at her with folded arms as she explained this need to him.

'If you don't get these shoes will you die?' Derek asked after she stopped describing the colour she needed to go with the dress Allison was making.

'Possibly,' Lydia said.

Derek was intent on standing his ground. Shopping was a security risk because it was the most boring thing Derek could imagine. He actually would rather supervise paint drying over shopping with Lydia. But it was Lydia, with those doe eyes and pouting lips. Lydia, who right now was falling to her knees and God help him she was licking her lips and touching his denim clad crotch. Her fingers were nimble opening his belt and popping the buttons on his jeans.

Normally Lydia indicated she wanted sex, she would ask him or start making out with him. She had never initiated anything like this. His half hard cock looked good in her dainty hands as she pulled him from his shorts.

'Please, baby please,' she whined before licking the tip of his dick. Derek dropped his hands and balled them into fists at his sides. She sucked him gently, taking more into her mouth with every movement of her head. It was slow, maddening, and Derek's toes curled in his boots as somehow she swallowed down to the root.

'Fuck,' he grunted as she cupped his balls in her hand.

Lydia pulled back and took a deep breath. One hand worked his shaft while she licked and sucked the rest of him but he almost came undone when she took her mouth away, lifted his dick and sucked his left ball into her mouth.

'Lydia I'm going to-'

'Only if you take me shopping,' Lydia said as she tightened her hand around the base.

'Anything, baby just please...' He groaned deep in his chest when Lydia sucked the tip again. That was all Derek needed before he was tugging her hair. She wouldn't budge though and he shot into her mouth.

'Good?' She asked as Derek caught his breath. Her lips were swollen and tears clung to her long lashes and Derek realised he was caught in her trap. Derek didn't answer, he just fell to the floor and dragged her over his face. With his thumb he held her panties to one side while he ate her cunt.

Later, as Lydia tried on her ninth pair of shoes, Derek didn't complain. He found he enjoyed watching Lydia shop, it made her happy and a happy Lydia led to a content Derek.

'Miss Martin you look fantastic,' the reporter said. Lights flashed around them but Lydia had grown used to this charade.

'Why thank you, this was handmade by a darling friend of mine who attends fashion school in Paris,' Lydia smoothed her dress. Allison had done a fantastic job with it and the colour was unique. Lydia loved it. The reporter raised her eyebrows expectantly and Lydia let a little teeth show.

Lydia's parents were just in front of her and Derek was at her back. He was uneasy, his eyes scanned the crowds of people around them. More than once he'd placed a hand on her back, a brief touch but that of a bodyguard not a lover.

'Wow, that's some good connections,' the reporter said. 'Is it true you've decided to follow your family into politics?'

'That's correct. As clichéd as it is to say it, I do want to make a difference. My father gets immense satisfaction from his job, although the fresh grey hairs don't always show it. I want that, I want to help people in the best way I can. I believe I owe it to my country to at least try,' Lydia smiled.

'Well if you're dressed like that you'll certainly get noticed,' the reporter said.

Lydia pasted a fake smile onto her face. The political journalists at the event congregated around her father and his staff and Lydia knew not to chase their attentions just yet. She was new to this game and more than happy to wait for politics to come to her. She would be making a mark soon enough.

'Lydia, darling come over here!' The President called. Lydia joined him, and Derek's hand brushed hers. 'I was just telling Emmett that you're considering a career in politics,' her father turned to her.

Lydia opened her mouth to speak but it all happened so fast. Suddenly she and her father were on the ground, and something heavy was crushing her. Blood covered her chest and hands. There was screaming and shouting, but Lydia knew it wasn't coming from her.

Someone moved the weight, her father was dragged away. Lydia was lifted next, and she looked into a face that didn't belong to Derek. 'Boyd where is Derek?' She muttered as he hoisted her higher.

There was noise; people ran every way they could and Lydia couldn't make sense of what was going on. The motorcade belonging to her father sped off and Lydia was being taken towards cars which had brought her. She twisted in Boyd's grip to look around but she couldn't see Derek anywhere. People pushed past them, Boyd stood his ground like a solid anchor and they were at the car in no time. That's when she spotted Derek.

His white shirt was Crimson with blood, and he lay on his back where she had been just moments ago. He wasn't moving, blood pooled around his body like molten lava.

'Derek!' She screamed pushing against Boyd but it was no use. He had her in the back seat, his body covering hers. The car pulled away and Lydia felt tears burn her eyes. 'Is Derek alive?' Lydia asked. Derek's blood, she realised, covered her hands. They shook as she examined how the sticky red caught in her skin.

The car was silent save for the engine.

'Please, someone answer me. Is Derek alive?' Lydia asked again.

But no one answered, because no one knew.


	2. Chapter 2

'We apprehended several gunmen,' Deucalion the chief of staff to the president said. 'We believe they've been working as part of a terrorist group opposed to government. We've been tracking them for some time sir, but our intelligence didn't suggest they were this dangerous. We suspect they're an extremist splinter.'

'I think you need better intelligence,' Lydia spoke up. The room quietened and everyone turned to look at her.

'I think-'

'I'm covered in my securities blood, we were shot at and almost killed. If you've been tracking this group and they didn't suggest danger then you need better intelligence.' Lydia raised her chin and looked around the room. Her father pursed his lips and turned to Deucalion.

'My daughter has a point,' he said.

'Yes sir, she does,' Deucalion admitted.

'Domestic terrorism, that's how I'd define the attacks,' Lydia added.

'With all due respect Miss Martin, you're no expert.' Deucalion turned to her.

'With all due respect, you didn't notice that there was to be an attempt on my father's life,' Lydia stood up. She was barefoot and still covered in Derek's blood. They had attended to her father first, checking he had no wounds. Lydia's confirmation that she was fine was all they needed to leave her in peace but now she was cold, and tired and so desperate for news about Derek.

'Lydia,' her father sounded tired. He stared at her, pleading almost for her to let this drop. After a silent conversation she took the hint.

'Can I please go home? I want to shower and change,' Lydia pleaded. Her father nodded and she turned to Boyd. 'Do we have any news?'

'I'm sorry, no one's come back to me yet,' Boyd said.

'Try again.' Lydia instructed as she made her way downstairs.

'Lydia why don't you-'

'I want to go to my place. My apartment. Where I live,' Lydia hated being this person but right now being here made her want to puke.

'Of course,' Boyd said. As they walked Lydia listened to Boyd make another enquiry about Derek.

'Derek's alive,' Erica said as she handed Lydia a warm cup. Lydia took it gratefully but her eyes tracked her protection detail.

'And...' Lydia prompted. Erica sat down opposite Lydia.

'He's in surgery. He took a bullet to the gut, that's all I know.' Erica said.

'The gut?' Lydia said. A strand of wet hair fell from the messy bun she'd made after her shower. Lydia tucked it behind her ear and curled her toes underneath her feet.

'Dangerous, plenty of internal organs to damage,' Erica said.

Boyd cleared his throat and Erica startled. Lydia could feel her eyes wet with tears. 'I'd like to go see him.'

'Not possible I'm afraid. Your father wants you to stay here.' Boyd rocked on his heels and Lydia nodded. There was no point in fighting him now, she didn't have the energy and besides, Derek was in surgery and there was nothing she could do.

'You'll give me regular updates,' Lydia told Erica. It wasn't a suggestion and Erica knew it.

'Yes ma'am.'

Derek woke slowly. At first everything was a blur of lights and noise. His body ached but he couldn't pinpoint where exactly he hurt.

Lydia, was she okay? Derek turned his head to the side but he was trapped by wires and blankets and he was tired again already. He tried to speak but his mouth was covered and his throat felt tight. He closed his eyes, just for a moment.

Derek woke from a dreamless sleep to pain and slight nausea. The room was dark, and someone sat next to the bed. Derek turned to see his mother asleep on the large armchair. Lydia wasn't there and disappointment filled him. He wanted to see her, to touch her skin, kiss her lips. He wanted her bright smile to make his heart soar. He looked for his cell phone but it was nowhere in sight.

'You're awake,' Talia sat forward. Derek offered her a smile and she kissed his cheek.

'Lydia?' Derek said.

Talia rolled her eyes. 'Always on the job.' She said fondly. 'She's fine. You saved her father's life Derek.'

'I know,' Derek licked his lips and his mother held a cup to his mouth. The water was warm but Derek didn't care. He sipped it gratefully.

'I should probably get a nurse,' Talia moved.

'Don't,' Derek caught her hand. 'Not yet, just give me a little time to process please.'

'Anything you say son,' Talia kissed his forehead and stood next to his bed as Derek took slow deep breaths, just like he'd been trained to do.

'Captain Hale.'

It took Derek a moment to recognise President Martin's chief of staff. Deucalion stepped into the room and looked around.

'The President wants to thank you,' he said without making eye contact. 'You saved his life.'

'It's my job,' Derek said.

'You know he'll be running for re-election soon, and he's going to get in. This has guaranteed him votes. A scandal will just hamper that re-election. I suggest you take this,' Deucalion handed Derek an envelope. Inside was a cheque for half a million dollars.

'Lydia mistrusts you,' Derek said as he examined the paper, the writing. It was from the president's personal account, signed by the president. The writing on the rest of the cheque was different though. 'Says you don't do enough research for her liking. I have no need of this.'

'Everyone has a price Captain Hale,' Deucalion said.

'Three times I've went through surgery to remove bullets from my body. My mother owns a multi-million dollar company and there's a trust fund waiting for me. Has been for three years. I turned it down because I like what I do,' Derek took a deep breath to mask the pain in his abdomen.

'Perhaps you don't have a price but your neglect of duties when you're with Miss Martin have put her in danger. Think, Derek, if for one second you were distracted. What would that mean huh?' Deucalion asked.

Derek didn't answer. He didn't need to. Deucalion was right. Derek was a danger to Lydia.

'Hi, I was hoping for an update on Derek Hale,' Lydia said. She heard some muttering on the other end of the line. Papers were shuffled and then the nurse spoke.

'Derek is awake and sitting up,' she said.

'Is he accepting visitors?' Lydia asked.

'Just family I'm afraid Miss Martin. I'll let him know you called.' The line died and Lydia sat back to look at the blank screen of her cell phone.

Derek hadn't responded to any of her messages, and Lydia surmised he'd lost his phone or perhaps there was no power left. It only took a few calls and thirty minutes later a new cell phone was on its way to him along with a card and a fruit basket.

Lydia tried to push Derek from her mind and turned to her research papers. It was dark when she finally decided to eat and check her cell phone. There were no messages. Lydia ignored the disappointment. Derek would be resting.

She called the hospital again in the morning.

'Mr Hale has politely requested that you no longer call the ward,' the nurse said.

'Is he ready for visitors?' Lydia asked.

'Mr Hale wants to see only close friends and family at this time. Please respect his privacy.' The line went dead. Lydia stood for a long time staring at the wall.

Derek didn't want to see her or contact her. He was shutting her out and it hurt.

The knock on the door startled her. Erica was smiling, explaining that Lydia had a lecture soon and the car was waiting. In a daze Lydia slipped her feet into her shoes and pulled a coat around her shoulders.

When she returned to her apartment later the gift she had purchased for Derek sat unopened in her mailbox. The card was unopened too.

Lydia tossed them into her bag and headed up the stairs.

It hurt. Lydia couldn't hold back the tears as the man she loved refused her help. She was more alone than ever, and her dreams were fading into memory as she walked through life. It was as if she were trapped but couldn't speak. Only Allison suspected something had been going on between Lydia and Derek but she was back in Paris. Lydia had no one to talk to, no one to share her pain with.

'He's a stubborn son of a bitch,' Erica said one afternoon as they left the White House. Her studies were getting her full attention now, and Lydia took the opportunity to learn from her father's staff. She found she enjoyed the speechwriting the best, watching ideas and notes turn into eloquent language delivered to a waiting and eager audience. 'At least he's home though.'

'Derek's out of hospital?' Lydia asked.

'He got home day before yesterday,' Erica confirmed.

Lydia slid into the car and looked out the window. She was hurt but she missed Derek terribly. She didn't think it would look weak to seek him out for a conversation.

'Can I go see him?' Lydia felt pathetic asking but Erica smiled.

'He's a fool, you know, but I have the utmost respect for you. We're not friends but I hate to see you hurting,' Erica squeezed Lydia's shoulder. 'Just, make him see what he's losing.'

Lydia rapped her knuckles against the door and was surprised to see a woman on the other side. Lydia didn't recognise her but she knew this woman wasn't one of Derek's sisters. She'd seen pictures of Laura and Cora.

'Can I help you?' The woman asked leaning against the door.

'I'm-'

'I know who you are; what do you want?' The woman snapped.

'I would like to see Derek,' Lydia said. She could feel tension, a heartbeat passed then the woman opened the door and stood back. She was barefoot, at home in Derek's apartment. Lydia stepped into the room and looked around. Derek was sitting on the corner of the sofa, another woman sat with her legs over his. Lydia didn't recognize her either.

Derek stood, shaking the legs off his thighs. He didn't look surprised to see her but he didn't look happy either.

'You look well,' Lydia said. Her heels clacked against the wooden floor. She knew how she looked, her skirt was short and her hair was up. Derek loved her legs, and when they made out his lips always chased the sensitive parts of her neck. He would bury his face there during sex, always kissing and touching her whilst his fingers explored her thighs.

'Thanks,' Derek folded his arms over his chest but his eyes flicked down over her body. 'This is Jennifer, my ex-wife. She came with Kali her girlfriend. They're here to make my life difficult,' Derek looked behind him. Lydia ignored the twist in her chest at the smile Derek's ex-wife gave him, but she remembered Derek telling her they remained friends after the divorce.

'I was worried,' Lydia took a slight step towards him but Derek stepped away. Her chest tightened. 'I-'

'I almost got you killed. I was distracted.' Derek looked at his feet. 'We need to finish this. It's not professional.'

'At least look me in the eye when you're telling me you don't want me,' Lydia snapped.

Derek's eyes were hard when he met her gaze. 'This needs to end.'

'I came to invite you to the ball at the White House, I was hoping you'd be my date,' Lydia said. She bit her lip, she knew Derek had a thing for stopping her from doing that, but he kept his arms stubbornly folded. She wanted so desperately to ask his audience to leave but they didn't, they just stayed where they were and blatantly watched.

'Lydia, it was fun while it lasted, but it's over now. I need to find-'

'Tell me you don't want me and I'll leave.' Lydia's bottom lip trembled. She felt naked, standing here in front of Derek's ex-wife and her lover, standing waiting for Derek to say it, hoping he wouldn't.

'I don't want you.' Derek said.

Lydia turned away. She tossed the envelope she held in her hand onto the counter and pushed out the door. It closed with a slam as Boyd fell into step behind her. She didn't speak, didn't hardly breathe until she was safe at her own place. Her whole body shook as she slipped into the shower. The spray hit her face, and Lydia tipped her head back letting the water wash away her tears.

'I think you're a fool. For the record.' Kali said as she examined the ticket and the post it note on front.

'Me too.' Jennifer said.

Derek closed his eyes and wished for male company. Scott or Isaac, hell even his brother in law Stiles would be preferable right now to these two. 'Go away.'

'That girl is head over heels for you,' Kali said. 'And those legs. I bet she's a firecracker in bed.'

Derek turned his glare on Kali but she just winked. 'Don't.' He warned.

'And you love her. I can tell,' Jennifer said. 'Are you going to give that up?'

'I'm a liability. I almost got her killed,' Derek said. He turned back to his window. His apartment was modest, there was a view of a dog park. Derek usually avoided the window, his job didn't allow him time for a dog, especially as he had given up his time in the Secret Service and was due to return to active duty once his recovery was complete.

'No, you didn't. You were hyper aware of what was going on. You were close to them both, Derek if you hadn't of been there either Lydia, her father or both of them would be dead or seriously injured right now,' Jennifer said.

Derek rubbed his face and wished them quiet. His chest felt tight and his head was pounding.

'Imagine giving up the love of your life just because you think you might not have saved her life,' Kali said. Jennifer made a humming noise.

Derek folded his arms and examined his reflection in the window. He wondered where she was now, what she was doing. She'd be fine, in the future. She'd find happiness with someone else. Someone would come along who would love her right, protect her, and hold her. Derek tried to imagine someone else with Lydia, someone kissing her, making love with her, but his hands curled into fists. He hated the feelings inside right now, hated how much he loved Lydia, how much the thought of someone else touching Lydia made him angry. He imagined her standing in front of crowds of people, imagined her as President.

Lydia wanted family, she wanted kids and a career. She had a future fully planned out. Derek was surprised to find that he wanted that too, only he wanted that with Lydia and no one else.

Lydia knew her smile was false but she didn't care. Jordan Parrish may be a genius politician and the youngest member of congress but Lydia really didn't care anymore, all she was interested in were the steps he took to get where he was. She knew why he was flirting with her, she knew why they all flirted with her. She didn't want to date any of them, no matter how much they pleaded. There was only one thing she wanted tonight and that was to disappear back to her apartment, get drunk and forget this last shambles of a year.

Lydia's acquaintances were many but friends were few. She turned away as Jordan entertained a large group and bumped into a wall of warm muscle. Jordan quietened behind her but Lydia didn't care.

'I'm a fool.' Derek said. Lydia bit her tongue. 'It's just that I've never felt this way about anyone. I thought I might lose you.'

'You know you were the one who was shot, I was the one who was going to lose you,' Lydia pointed out. He looked handsome in his tux and he'd shaved at one point because his jaw was stubbled.

Derek smiled at her. 'I've always had this fantasy of being the husband of a beautiful lady President.'

'I would make a good President,' Lydia told Derek. He smiled at her.

'I would make a good house husband.' Derek pointed out. 'I've quit the secret service, I'm going back to the marines for a year or so.'

'What will you do after that?' Lydia asked him, but her heart leapt with hope.

'I don't know, I might go to University,' Derek shrugged. 'I've always loved history.'

'Oh yeah?' Lydia said.

Derek nodded. 'Yeah.' He took her hands and led her onto the dancefloor. 'I'm sorry I hurt you but I love you so much baby. I was trying to protect you.'

'I'm a big girl Derek, I can take care of myself. People are always making decisions for me, I don't appreciate you being one of those people,' Lydia said.

'I know, I'm sorry about that too. I hate that I've been an asshole, I just listened to the wrong person,' Derek said. He was looking at someone over her shoulder. Lydia turned and saw Deucalion looking at them like a bad taste lingered in his mouth. Lydia turned back and squeezed Derek's hands.

'This doesn't mean I forgive you. There's making up to be done. I may want that belt.' Lydia watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed.

'Yes ma'am,' he said. His hands tightened on her waist and he pressed a quick kiss to her lips. A promise of later.

'Derek I don't need protection. There's plenty of that around me. What I need is someone who loves me to trust me, to trust that I know what I'm doing and where I'm going with my life,' Lydia linked her fingers behind his neck.

'I trust you, I just don't trust me anymore,' Derek said.

'I trust you, I always have. I trust that you'll take care of me however I need you to and I'll do the same for you. I trust you to make me happy,' Lydia pecked Derek's lips again.

'I will make you happy just like you make me happy,' Derek smiled.

They danced together until her father caught her eye, beckoning her close to him. Lydia held Derek's hand as she walked towards her father.

'Hale,' he nodded to Derek. Derek nodded back. His eyes fell to their joined hands. 'Thank you, for saving my life.'

'You're welcome sir,' Derek said.

'I hear you're going back to the marines,' the president said.

'For a while sir,' Derek said. The president's eyes fell to their joined hands again.

'Daddy...'

'You know I wondered how long it would take for you two to finally see sense,' The President said. Lydia gave her father a hug. 'I'm glad you've fallen in love,' her father whispered in her ear.

'So am I,' Lydia said as she pulled away from him. 'I assume you're going to help me become President.'

'I thought you hated politics!' The President said.

'So did I,' Lydia smiled. 'But I'll have a higher approval rating than you.'

Her father rolled his eyes and Derek tugged her hand.

'Come on, I want to dance with you,' he said. Lydia let him lead her away and wrapped herself in his arms.

'I think we should dance forever,' Lydia admitted. Derek pecked her lips, just one chaste kiss but it was full of so much promise and hope that Lydia felt butterflies fill her tummy. Derek held her close, and Lydia rested her cheek on his chest and wondered what it really would be like to dance with Derek at her Inauguration Ball.

Lydia stepped from the pool of silk her dress left around her feet. Derek was lying on the bed. He was watching her, his eyes travelling her body as she smoothed nervous fingers over the lace underwear that covered her hips.

He looked good, he was resting his elbows on the bed and his shoulders were pushed forward. The scar was clear on his stomach and Lydia couldn't resist bending forward and placing her lips over the new bullet wound. Derek made a soft noise and ran his fingers up her legs to the hem of her panties.

'Hey,' Lydia whispered as she crawled over his body. Derek wove his fingers into her hair and pulled her close to his lips. The kiss was warm and safe, but there was something different behind it that Lydia couldn't put her finger on.

'I'm sorry,' Derek said as he trailed his fingers over her cheek. 'I could have lost you.'

'I wasn't giving up you know, I had just retreated and was thinking of how else I was going to approach the problem,' Lydia said.

'I'm a problem huh?' Derek asked. His voice was husky, Lydia could feel the bulge in his shorts pressing up against her panties.

'You're a big problem,' Lydia teased grounding down. Derek's pupils were almost black with desire. 'But I'm going to see if I can reduce it.'

Derek chuckled and cupped her face in his hands. Her fingers teased over the skin of his shoulders then Lydia sat up. 'Are you going to ride me?'

'You'd like that, lying back there watching me, but you've got to work for me,' Lydia said. Derek smiled and sat up, catching her in his arms.

'You haven't forgiven me yet,' Derek nipped the skin underneath her eat and Lydia squirmed on his lap.

'No,' Lydia said. Her voice sounded breathy but Derek didn't seem to notice. He flipped her and dragged her panties off with one easy move. He removed his own as an afterthought. 'Derek.' Lydia said. His eyes met hers but he didn't speak. With gentle hands he spread her thighs and ducked to kiss her mound.

Lydia cried out, Derek's mouth was hot and it had been a while since she had felt him there. He used his thumbs to part the lips of her pussy and then he was licking over her clit. Lydia gasped as Derek alternated between long licks and quick flicks. Her hands gripped at his hair as he sucked her clit into his mouth and scraped his teeth gently against her.

Lydia bucked against him and cried out as his soothing tongue made her come. 'I'm sorry,' Derek said from between her legs. Lydia dragged him up so he covered her body.

'You better be,' Lydia said. She smacked his ass with one hand whilst she guided his cock into her cunt with the other.

'Condom,' Derek said but he was already inside her.

'Contraceptive pill,' Lydia nipped the lobe of his ear.

'Lydia,' Derek groaned as he rocked into her.

Lydia gripped his butt cheek and with her other hand cupped the back of his neck. 'Derek, please, fuck me,' she moaned.

Derek did, and the slap of hips was all she could hear in the room. Lydia wrapped her legs around his waist and sought his lips. They didn't kiss, just touched and shared. Lydia was afraid to stop touching Derek least he disappear from her arms.

'I'm sorry,' Derek muttered in her ear. Lydia turned to him and pecked at his lips, his cheeks.

'I forgive you love,' Lydia said.

Derek shifted, moving so he was resting on his haunches. He gripped Lydia's hips and fucked into her hard. With a shout she caught onto the headboard as Derek grit his teeth. 'Yeah, fuck me,' she panted.

'Demanding aren't you,' Derek said. She was sure there'd be bruises on her skin later but she didn't mind, she looked forward to Derek's marks on her skin.

'Lift me into your lap,' she said.

'Yes ma'am,' with a grunt Derek did as she asked. The angle changed and Lydia felt a shudder run through her when Derek's cock brushed her g-spot.

'I love how strong you are,' Lydia kissed Derek's lips.

'I love how strong you are,' Derek's hands ran up her back. The kiss was soft this time. Lydia rocked in Derek's lap and Derek helped her move. 'Baby you're going to make me come.'

'I want to,' Lydia clenched around Derek's cock. He groaned and jerked, brushing her g-spot again. Lydia cried out. Her toes curled as her spine tingled. Derek's thumb worked between them and brushed her clit.

Lydia came first with her teeth against Derek's neck. A moment later she was on her back and Derek was pushing into her. It only took a few thrusts before he collapsed on top of her.

'That was...' Lydia kissed Derek again and scratched at his shoulder.

'I know,' he agreed above her. 'We should shower.'

'Not yet, don't move, just stay there,' Lydia pleaded. Derek nuzzled her cheek and let his wet lips brush her skin.

'Whatever you want,' he said softly. The light flicked off and they held each other in the darkness of Lydia's apartment, a view of the White House from the window in the back ground.


End file.
